Mohammad Kamrul Hasan: Islamic State Bengal Leader Continues to Live Abroad in Turkey

Mohammad Kamrul Hasan: Islamic State Bengal Leader Continues to Live Abroad in Turkey

Executive Summary:

• The current emir of Islamic State Bengal (ISB)/“Neo-JMB” (Neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh) is Mohammad Kamrul Hasan. An able recruiter and mastermind behind numerous bombings in Dhaka, Kamrul is in Turkish custody awaiting transfer back to Bangladesh.

Mohammad Kamrul Hasan (also known as “Mahadi Hasan John” and “Abu Abbas Al-Bengali”) is the latest emir of Islamic State Bengal (ISB), which is locally labeled as the “Neo-JMB” (Neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh) (Kalbela, July 1, 2023). [1] Kamrul was arrested by Turkish authorities and is currently out on bail, but has been implicated in numerous cases in Bangladesh related to orchestrating attacks and reorganizing ISB while based out of Turkey (The Daily Star [Bangladesh], January 1). He allegedly targeted law enforcement personnel throughout Bangladesh, including in the capital Dhaka as well as the cities of Narayanganj and Bogura (Rajshahi News24, March 1, 2023).

Background and Radicalization

Kamrul is in his late twenties and hails from Jaypurpara, which is in the Dupchanchia sub-district of Bogura in the restive northwest region of Bangladesh, known for its militancy. Born to Md. Abu Sayeed, who is deceased, and Mossammat Rehana Parveen, Kamrul was educated in mainstream schools. He began his education at the local Shapla Kindergarten School. From there, he moved to Dupchanchia Pilot School and, before going abroad, he was a student of Dupchanchia J.K. College (Amader Shomoy, March 2, 2023).

In 2007, Kamrul’s life took a turn as he joined Islami Chatra Shibir (ICS), which is the student wing of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI). [2] Gradually, he ascended the ranks to become a local leader of ICS in Bogura. However, his involvement in anti-government activities led to legal troubles, with five cases filed against him in 2013. Seeking to distance him from this path, Kamrul’s father started arranging for him to leave the country through a middleman (Amader Shomoy, March 2, 2023).

In 2015 and 2016, Kamrul found himself behind bars in Bangladesh due to his alleged anti-government activities. According to a source within the Bangladeshi security apparatus, he was in prison for at least eight months. It was during this period of incarceration that he encountered an inmate named “Saju,” who introduced him to the ideology of Islamic State (IS). Little is known about Saju, except that he possibly remains in a Bangladeshi prison. [3]

International Exploits

Upon his release from prison, Kamrul embraced militant ideology and joined Neo-JMB, which supports IS. He forged a close association with a Canadian of Bangladeshi descent, Tamim Chowdhury, who is notorious for his involvement in violent attacks, including the 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery massacre in Dhaka. However, Tamim’s demise in a police counter-terrorism operation in August 2016 prompted Kamrul to flee Bangladesh. His subsequent disappearance on a court date in August 2016 marked a significant shift in his trajectory, with him seemingly traveling to Syria, Greece, and Iraq before ending up in Turkey. From Turkey, Kamrul inspired youths in Bangladesh to carry out attacks (New Age [Bangladesh], July 17, 2021).

Kamrul first traveled from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia on a worker visa. From there, he managed to enter Turkey illegally before making his way to Iraq with a group from Pakistan. Throughout his travels, Kamrul maintained communication with his mother using an imo.im (an encrypted messaging app) number (Amader Shomoy, March 2, 2023). In Iraq, he made contact with IS commander Abu Ayyub al-Samir and later married a Syrian named Umm Abdulah, the widow of an IS leader named Yajuddin (Amader Shomoy, March 1, 2023).

In September 2020, Kamrul assumed the role of emir of the ISB/Neo-JMB while he was abroad. Later, under the alias of “Abu Abbas al-Bengali,” he continued to propagate messages for the organization on the internet. Kamrul took over the group at a critical time, as its leadership was in disarray due to dismantlement by sustained law enforcement operations by the Bangladeshi authorities.

Role in Terrorism, Arrest, and Bail

Neo-JMB faced severe setbacks after the IS-claimed Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka in 2016 brought down the full force of Bangladeshi law enforcement upon them. Many of the group’s leaders and key members were killed or arrested. However, the group became active again within three years, as evidenced by the 2019 attack near the Gulistan Cinema Hall in the Gulistan Area of Dhaka. Additionally, remote-controlled bombings occurred in Malibagh and the Science Laboratory Area of Dhaka that same year. Furthermore, two bombs were set off near police boxes in the busiest intersections of the capital, in the Paltan and Khamarbari Areas of Dhaka. These explosions, all in the evening, injured a number of police personnel and civilians. All incidents occurred in the evening. The police have directly linked Kamrul to all these attacks. Moreover, he was identified as the mastermind behind attacks in Comilla in 2020 and Narayanganj in 2021, all while still being based in Turkey (Desh Rupantor, November 7, 2021).

According to Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) sources, Kamrul inspired Bangladeshi youth toward terrorism through various apps. These included imo.im and Telegram. Kamrul collaborated with associates from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Singapore, who facilitated operations in Bangladesh (New Age, July 17, 2021). He advocated for ISB members to undergo bomb-making training (Ajker Patrika, July 15, 2021) Under Kamrul’s leadership, Jahid Hasan of the military wing of the Neo-JMB attempted to create drones by studying online instructional videos. His intention was to equip these drones with explosives for carrying out attacks—which was fortunately foiled when he was arrested in 2021 (The Daily Star [Bangladesh], July 30, 2021).

Members of the Special Action Group of the CTTC of Dhaka kept an eye on Kamrul’s movements using advanced surveillance technology. Subsequently, he was reported to law enforcement agencies in Turkey by the CTTC (Rajshahi News24, March 1, 2023). Even though Kamrul was arrested, he is currently on bail and reportedly under surveillance by the Turkish authorities. Meanwhile, upon the request of the Bangladesh Police, an Interpol red notice has been issued against Kamrul and efforts are underway to bring him back to Bangladesh.

Conclusion

Mohammad Kamrul Hasan has become a notable figure in ISB and has directed numerous attacks in Bangladesh. Despite being apprehended in Turkey, Kamrul’s role in coordinating terrorism from abroad underscores the persistent threat he poses. Since Turkish law enforcement authorities apprehended him, no successor has been announced by ISB (Bangla Tribune, July 1, 2023). The collaborative efforts of the CTTC and international intelligence agencies demonstrate the continued necessity of global cooperation in combating extremism. His case also highlights the ongoing challenge of radicalization in prisons, the transnational networks of terrorist groups, and the imperative of proactive measures to prevent future attacks.

Notes:

[1] The term “Neo-JMB” is used by Bangladeshi authorities to refer to ISB, which is a group primarily made up of members from Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The government coined the term “Neo-JMB” to distinguish this IS-inspired faction from the banned JMB, as many JMB members joined this new group after 2014 and worked alongside Junud at-Tawheed Wal Khilafah coordinator Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, who was a Bangladeshi–Canadian killed during a police raid in Narayanganj on August 27, 2016. Sharing the ideology of the IS, this group maintains ties with both the core IS organization and its South Asia-affiliated counterpart, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

[2] Since the early 2000s, numerous prominent terrorist leaders in Bangladesh have had previous ties to ICS or its parent organization, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI). In 2013, the High Court Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court declared the registration of the BJI illegal and that the party was unfit to contest national polls. The court ruled that Jamaat’s charter, which called for establishing a state based on Islamic values, was incompatible with Bangladesh’s secular principles as enshrined in its constitution. In November 2023, the Appellate Division dismissed the BJI’s appeal against the High Court order that declared the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami illegal.

[3] Author’s interview of a Bangladeshi security professional, May 2024.